Weather and Climate Science

New 4-H Curriculum

May 13, 2015

Curriculum Format

Level 1, grades 3-5: print and online Level 2, grades 6-8: online only Level 3, grades 9-12: online only Facilitator’s Guides – 3 (one per level) – online only

Why online? Connecting with the digital natives in middle and high

school Ability to incorporate additional resources Ability to link to websites (*.edu and *.gov)

4-H Weather and Climate Science

4-H Weather & Climate Science

Level 1: Introduces basic weather terminology and concepts Activities focus on understanding the signs of weather Youth begin to learn the difference between weather and climate

Level 2: Introduces more complex weather topics, including: air pressure,

winds, humidity, and fronts and a little bit of climate science

Level 3: Delves even deeper into weather and climate science concepts Youth are encouraged to supplement learning by consulting

knowledgeable people and recent written materials

Level 1, Table of Contents

Comparing Climates

Country of Colors

Defining Weather Words

Earth’s Surfaces

H2O

Invisible Air

Reading about Wild Weather

‘Tis the Season

Watching the Wind

Weather Affects Plans

Weather Alerts

Weather or Climate?

Where Is the Heat?

Level 1, Activity Example

Level 1 Example

Level 2, Table of Contents

Air Pressure

Carbon Footprint

Cloud Formation

Cloud Types

Cold Fronts

Earth’s Rotation

Global Winds

Greenhouse Effect

Humidity

Hurricanes

Making Weather Instruments

Mini-Tornado

Out of the Dust

Seasons

Using Weather Instruments to Collect Data

Level 2, Activity Example

Level 2, Activity Example

Level 3, Table of Contents

Weather

Air Masses and Fronts

Isaac's Storm

Monitoring Weather

Pressure Systems

Weather Station Models

Weather in the Troposphere

Windchill and Heat Index

Climate Climate and Climographs

Drought Monitoring

Energy in the Atmosphere

Energy Balance

Impacts of Climate Change

Investigating Climate Change

The Sun–Earth Relationship

Sunspot Cycle

Volcanoes

Level 3, Activity Example – Weather

CoCoRaHS – Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network

(www.weatheryourway.com/cocorahs)

Level 3, Activity Example – Climate

Level 3, Activity Example – Climate (cont.)

Electronic Materials

Download Includes: 1 Welcome.pdf – a “read me” document 2 Soil &WaterScience,Level2.pdf – introductory

pages 3 Contents – just the Table of Contents Folders: Activities; Printable Manual (w/out

attachments)

Using the Curricula: Volunteer Leaders, Parents, & other Educators

Let youth pick and choose the activities that they want to complete

Select activities and guide youth Assist youth as needed – less and less as they mature Use at home, at workshops, in 4-H club meetings, ….

The Judges Role

4-H exhibits are an example and often the culmination of project work under the guidance of a volunteer facilitator/parent/other educator

The judge’s role is to provide feedback on the educational process, based on the exhibit and, when open judging occurs, interaction with the youth

Success indicator examples: Youth can explain how clouds form.

Youth can explain how highs and lows develop and can describe the weather associated with these systems.

The Judges Role

Judges are a critical component of the educational process

Use this time for teachable moments Written comments should include positive comments

and ways to improve Be cautious with wording

Use a new scorecard rather than scratching out or erasing

Remember: JUDGE = EXPERT to 4-H youth

Questions?

We hope this presentation was helpful!

Natalie Carroll (ncarroll@purdue.edu), Dept. of Youth Dev & Ag Education

Tony Carrell (tcarrell@purdue.edu), State 4-H Office

Purdue University